Cadets fly in the past

Royal Canadian Air Cadets were given the rare opportunity to step into the cockpit of a plane from a bygone era before taking to the skies above Quinte this week.
The flights were courtesy of Vintage Wings of Canada Yellow Wings Youth Leadership initiative, who brought several heritage aircraft including a Harvard, Chipmunk and Lysander.
The Yellow Wings program uses the Second World War era and post-war military training aircraft as unique teaching tools in order to provide participants with the opportunity to experience living history. Each of their aircraft is dedicated to a Canadian veteran who not only served during the Second World War or Cold War, but also had personal experience with the aircraft.
“Without paying for it you wouldn’t be able to get this experience anywhere,” said Capt. Josh Bambrough, unit public affairs representative of the Trenton Cadet Training Centre. “Cadets is a unique experience and this is just one example of many.”
The program’s first run in 2013 was such a success they decided to bring it back every year since, said Bambrough.
“It really exposed the aviation cadets to flying. It allowed us to fulfil our requirement of giving them a familiarization flight, but in an aircraft that was flown by the RAF (Royal Air Force) back in the day.”
One of the more unusual looking planes was the Westland Lysander, a style of plane which was utilized to drop spies behind enemy lines in the Second World War.
“It’s a wonderful privilege to be able to take up air cadets in it because this is such a Canadian airplane. They really are connecting up with history,” said the Lysander’s pilot, Dave Hadfield.
Hadfield said the cadets’ response to going up in the plane has been universally positive.
“Usually (they have) a great big smile, a big grin. And then selfies, the cameras come out.”
One of many cadets waiting patiently on the tarmac for her turn to fly was Milton’s Krittika Verma, 820 Chris Hadfield Squadron.
Verma had learned that morning she would be one of the cadets going for a flight.
“I was like ‘Yes, finally, it’s time to go,” she said laughing.
While Verma has been up in the air before — in a Cesna, a glider and a glider tow-plane — this would be her first time flying in a plane like the Chipmunk.
Verma was impressed with how involved the controls are for flying planes of this nature.
“For the big airlines you fly pretty much auto-pilot all the time but when you have the small aircraft you’re going to be flying it yourself.”
Bambrough said the cadet program is a great chance for youth to learn about themselves and the opportunities out there.
“How many 16 year olds know exactly what they want? In this program we help narrow it down for them,” he said. “Give them an opportunity to experience interests that they wouldn’t have experienced before.
tjmiller@postmedia.com